John LeClair
| birth_place = St. Albans, VT, U.S. | career_start = 1991 | career_end = 2006 | draft = 33rd overall | draft_year = 1987 | draft_team = Montreal Canadiens }} John Clark LeClair (born July 5, 1969 in St. Albans, Vermont) is a retired American professional player. He most recently played left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL), who released him on December 14, 2006. Playing career Montreal Canadiens LeClair was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 33rd pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft after graduating from Bellows Free Academy (B.F.A.) High School in St. Albans, Vermont. One of the most highly recruited hockey players in New England, Leclair put his NHL aspirations on hold to attend the University of Vermont on a full scholarship. His fans didn't have to wait long to see him score in his first collegiate game. After the final game of his senior year he signed with the Canadiens and, less than a week later, played and scored in his first NHL game. As a member of the Canadiens, LeClair was on the Stanley Cup-winning team in 1993, where he scored two overtime game-winning goals during the Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia Flyers and the Legion of Doom On February 9, 1995, a Montreal team desperate to salvage a difficult season traded LeClair, along with Éric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia's 3rd round choice (Martin Hohenberger) in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. LeClair gelled immediately with new line-mate Eric Lindros and quickly became one of the NHL's most feared goal scorers. With the Flyers he played left-wing on the famed "Legion of Doom" line, centered by Lindros and Mikael Renberg on right-wing. The trio was not only effective at scoring but they were also a dominant physical presence on the ice. In 1998, LeClair became the first American-born NHL player to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons and the second Flyer to do so, behind Tim Kerr. Following the 1997–98 NHL season, LeClair had two consecutive 40 goal seasons. LeClair played for the Flyers for 10 seasons and was one of the most productive players in franchise history, scoring 333 career goals and an additional 35 in the playoffs, statistics good enough for top 10 in the history of Flyers goal scorers. Pittsburgh Penguins On July 23, 2005, as a result of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement which introduced a salary cap to the NHL, the Flyers were forced to part ways with their longtime alternate captain, and they bought out LeClair's and teammate Tony Amonte's contracts to create cap space. Rumors had LeClair going to the Boston Bruins or perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, LeClair signed a two year deal with the arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins on August 15, 2005. LeClair had a fairly successful season in Pittsburgh during the 2005–06 NHL season, finishing third on the team in scoring as he passed the 400-goal mark and had his eighth 50+ point season. Awards *ECAC Second All-Star Team (1991) *NHL First All-Star Team (1995, 1998) *NHL Second All-Star Team (1996, 1997, 1999) *World Cup All-Star Team (1996) *Bud Ice Plus/Minus Award (1997) *Bud Light Plus/Minus Award (1999) Played in NHL All-Star Game (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) *2002 Olympics First All-Star team Career statistics External links * Category:Born in 1969 Category:American ice hockey players Category:Fredericton Canadiens players Category:Montreal Canadiens draft picks Category:Montreal Canadiens players Category:NHL All-Stars Category:NHL players with 50 goal seasons Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the United States Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Vermont Catamounts players Category:1998 Olympian Category:2002 Olympian Category:Retired in 2006